Heart valve disease continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting from a number of ailments including rheumatic fever and birth defects. Currently, the primary treatment of aortic valve disease is valve replacement. Recent statistics show that valvular heart disease is responsible for nearly 20,000 deaths each year in the United States, and is a contributing factor in approximately 42,000 deaths. Worldwide, approximately 300,000 heart valve replacement surgeries are performed annually, and about one-half of these patients received so-called mechanical heart valves, which are composed of rigid, synthetic materials. The remaining patients received bioprosthetic heart valve replacements, which utilize biologically derived tissues for flexible fluid occluding leaflets. In general, bioprosthetic valve replacements have good hemodynamic performance and do not require the anticoagulation therapy necessary for mechanical heart valves. However, these bioprostheses sometimes fail as a result of calcification and mechanical damage.
Finite element analysis (FEA) is a computer simulation technique used to study and predict native and prosthetic valve mechanics. FEA uses a numerical technique called the finite element method (FEM). In its application, the object or system is represented by a geometrically similar model consisting of multiple, linked, simplified representations of discrete regions—i.e., finite elements. Equations of equilibrium, in conjunction with applicable physical considerations such as compatibility and constitutive relations, are applied to each element, and a system of simultaneous equations is constructed. The system of equations is solved for unknown values using the techniques of linear algebra or nonlinear numerical schemes, as appropriate. While being an approximate method, the accuracy of the FEA method can be improved by refining the mesh in the model using more elements and nodes.
Particular challenges are encountered in numerical simulations of bioprosthetic heart valves, including nonlinear anisotropic leaflet mechanical properties, leaflet contact, and experimental validation. In particular, experimental measurements of leaflet strain for validation are difficult to perform because of practical limitations in obtaining measurements very close to the leaflets and valve housing. Moreover, prior design models are based on empirical methods of obtaining the leaflet geometry, which is difficult due to the free-form shape of the valve leaflets. Physical measurements of an actual valve using, for example, a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) or optical imager is cumbersome and prone to systemic in human errors, thus prohibiting efficient design evaluations. Furthermore, because of an imprecise knowledge of surface definitions, computer-aided design (CAD) tools can only approximate valve leaflets surfaces, and important design features may be lost.
In view of drawbacks associated with previously known techniques for modeling bioprosthetic heart valves, a more accurate and flexible method is desired.